Sterilizer.



W. T. HERNDON.

STERILIZBR. APPLIoAToN FILED JULY 19,1910.

1,023,646; i Patented Apr.16,1912.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 19,1910.

1,023,646. Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Attorneys WILLIAM T. HERNDON, OF LAURINBURG, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'lIOy GILBERT I-I. RUSSELL, 0F LAURINBURG, NORTH CAROLINA.

STERILIZER.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. HERNDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Laurinburg, in the county of Scotland and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Sterilizer, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the sterilizing cabinet disclosed in my Patent No. 959,858 dated May 31, 1910; and it is the object of the present invention to simplify the structure thereof, and toprovide a more effective closure for the drawers.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for automatically returning the drawers to closed position after having been opened.

Vith these objects in view, the invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accoinpanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichf Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the cabinet, one of the drawers being shown in open position. Fig. 2 is a transverse sec tion on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the drawer closing means in one position. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the drawer closing means in another position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, 5 denotes a cabinet which may be of any size or style, and which is provided with two drawers 6, but it will be understood that the number of drawers is immaterial, and may be varied as desired. The cabinet also contains a drawer 7, in which the sterilizing substance is placed, and which is mounted at the bottom of the cabinet, so that when the fumes rise, they may pass into the drawers 6, the latter containing the instruments to be sterilized.

In order to prevent the escape of the fumes when the drawers 6 are opened, the following structure is provided :-Each drawer 6 slides between upper and lower horizontal partitions 8 and 9, respectively, the drawer being open on top and also at its rear end. The top partition 8 serves as a closure for the top of the drawer when the latter is in closed position, and also shuts off from the interior of the cabinet that p0rtion of the drawer which remains therein Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tuly 19, 1910.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Serial No. 572,747.

10, a valve for closing the drawer to the interior of the cabinet, when the drawer is opened. The valve comprises a flap 11 having a lateral extension 12 at one end which is hinged to the rear end of the top partition. The other end of the flap is beveled, and the beveled rear end 13 of the lower partition 9, when the drawer is opened, as shown in Fig. 1.

The extension 12 carries a staple 14 which is in the path of the laterally extending portion 15a of a stein 15 which is carried by the drawer, on the inside thereof. The stem may be secured to one of the side walls of the drawer as shown, or to any other convenient part. The ste-1n 15 is so positioned that it engages the staple 14 when the drawer is closed, and thus swings the flap 11 upwardly to open position, thereby permit.- ting the fumes from the sterilizing sub stance to enter the drawer through its open rear end. When the drawer is pulled open, the stem is withdrawn from the staple, whereupon the flap is released, and drops by gravity, its beveled end seating on the beveled rear end of the lower partition 9, thus closing the space between the upper and lowerpartitions, and preventing the escape of the fumes from the cabinet. When the flap is in open position, its laterally extending portion 12 is in alinement with the top partition.

The device for automatically closing the drawers comprises a horizontally swinging lever 16 having at one of its ends a curved lateral bend 17, to the extremity of which one end of a coiled spring 18 is connected, the other end of which is made fast to the lower partition 9, or at any other convenient place in the cabinet. The leveris pivoted at 19 to said partition, the pivot being located in the bend 17 of the lever. The straight end of the lever coperates with pins 2O and 21, respectively, fixed to, and depending from the bottom of the drawer. It will be noted that these two pins are spaced from each other laterally, and one is in advance of the other. On the partition 9 is mounted a guide 22 in which' the straight end of the lever works.

The operation of the closing device is as follows: The lever swings forwardly and rearwardly with the drawer. l/Vhen the drawer is closed, the straight end of the lever extends between the two pins, so that when the drawer is pulled open, the pin 20 engages the lever and swings it on its pivot, whereby the spring 18 is expanded, the latter being free to swing across the pivot 19. In closed position the spring extends on one side of the pivot, so that when the extent ot the opening movement of the drawer is such as to keep the spring on this side of the pivot, it will swing the lever in a direction to return the drawer to closed position, when the latter is released. lVhen the drawer is pulled to full open position, the lever 16 swings clear of the pin 2O as shown in Fig. 4L, so that the drawer is now released entirely from the lever, and may be pulled wide open, or entirely removed from the cabinet. The forward swing of the lever is limited by the guide 22, the latter being so loca-ted as to prevent the lever from swinging out ot the path of the pin 21. Vhen the drawer is now returned to closed position, the pin 20 first passes the lever, after which the pin 21 strikes the lever and swings it rearwardly. lVhen the spring 18 swings across the pivot,

it contracts, and swings the lever in a direction to engage the pin 20, thereby pulling the drawer closed, the parts then again assuming the position shown in Fig. 3.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a drawer and its housing, of spaced pins carried by the drawer, a J-shaped lever pivoted to the housing to swing in a plane parallel with the drawer bottom, the straight end of the lever extending between the pins and being in engagement therewith when the drawer is closed and out of engagement therewith when the drawer is opened, and a spring fastened at one end to the tail of the lever and its other end to the housing.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM T. IIERNDON.

Nitnessesz C. E. MUSE, C. D. MGCORMICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

